Feds to BP: Cough up spill data

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson have sent a letter to BP CEO Tony Hayward that notes that In his May 17,20 10 testimony before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Mr. Lamar McKay, Chairman and President of BP America, claimed that BP was making every effort to keep the public and government officials informed.

"Those efforts, to date," says the letter, "have fallen short in both their scope and effectiveness. In order to meet BP's responsibilities and to fulfill this obligation, BP must make publicly available any data and other information related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that you have collected, or that will be collected in the future."

The data, says the letter, "includes, but is not limited to, any and all sampling and/or monitoring plans, records, video, reports collected by BP, its contractors, subcontractors, agents or employees, any such reports that have come into BP's possession through other means, and any reports of internal investigations."

A laundry-list-like attachment to the letter provides direction on how the information should be made available and public,saying that "at a minimum, all information should be posted on a publicly accessible website" and that BP must update this data and information daily.

"Although DHS and EPA are not aware of any data or information that you would have that is Confidential Business Information (CBI)," says the letter, "any claim of CBI will be handled in accordance with applicable law."